Chapter 42 (1/2)
”You need to calm him, Khalil.”
The counsellor's request made Khalil feel a thousand times heavier than when he fainted that day (whether he fainted or slept while accompanied by nightmares, Khalil wasn't sure yet). Khalil was as still as a stone.
”I know it's too much to ask. I know I offered to handle this thing alone, but he wouldn't listen to me from now on. So I need you to calm him. If it didn't work even after the staging - I swear, we'll leave. You, and me. Let's leave this place. At least we tried, right?
”Really? You're leaving?”
”I'm at my limits, Khalil. I think it's about time we move on, too,” admitted the counsellor.
Khalil was silent. He never did want to become a part of this. The counsellor was the one who dragged him into it. And now he was haunted by the thing he wanted to forget again.
”Why don't we just leave now?” asked Khalil.
”What?”
”You want to be one of those idiots in those horror films? We keep on screaming 'Get out of there! Get lost!' but they still wanted to investigate more - in the end, they gained nothing.”
The counsellor was silent. She felt like laughing when Khalil compared their situation with movies - but thinking about what Khalil just experienced, the feeling disappeared.
”If you want to you could, but I need to give a notice of resignation first. I work here, remember?” said the counsellor.
Khalil felt guilty. He can't just leave her here alone?
The counsellor caught his expression and said, ”Don't worry about me. I'm used to these kinds of things.”
”You've never experienced what I did…”
”True. But I was never directly related to the tragedy. Maybe…”
”Maybe it's angrier towards me?”
It was the counsellor who felt guilty this time. ”But you have to understand it was not your fault, Khalil. Just because you survived, doesn't mean…”
”I'm staying,” decided Khalil.
Khalil wanted to finish this due business. Maybe he could finally sleep at night after this. And nothing the counsellor say could change his mind.
Gibbs entered Ray's room in a panic.
”What the h.e.l.l is going on?!”
Ray who was smoking on the bed looked at Gibbs as if Gibbs just asked, ”Where do you want to eat later?”
”Sit down first,” invited Ray, calm.
Gibbs felt like declining at first but looking at the extra-calm Ray, he sat down on the bed - like the bed was the source of al calmness.
”What's up?” asked Ray.
”You tell me.”
Ray sighed. ”You really want to know?”
”So you were really hiding something from me? From KJ?”
”KJ already knows. He didn't tell you.”
Gibbs' confused and angry face made Ray feel like telling him then and there. But Ray felt that there was something else that would let Gibbs see the full picture.